1994 World Series
The 1994 World Series was cancelled on September 14 of that year due to an ongoing strike by the Major League Baseball Players Association, which had begun on August 12. It was only the second time in the event's history (and the first time since 1904) that the Fall Classic was not played. When compared to other crises and disasters Many baseball fans lamented that while two World Wars, a Great Depression, an earthquake (1989), and other crises and disasters could not cancel a World Series, financial issues could and did. Many analysts blame the strike and the cancellation of the Series for baseball's sharp drop in popularity in the ensuing years. Impact on the Montréal Expos The Montréal Expos of the National League, at 74-40, and the New York Yankees of the American League, at 70-43, held the best records in their leagues at season's end. The Montréal Expos could have tried to win the 3rd consecutive World Series for a Canadian team after the Toronto Blue Jays in 1992 and 1993. An All-Canadian World Series featuring the Expos and the Blue Jays would have been very unlikely, with the World Champion Blue Jays slumping to a third place finish and a 55-60 record at the cancellation of the season, 16 games behind the Yankees. Some, such as the then-majority owner of the Expos, Claude Brochu, in his book My Turn at Bat, blamed the strike for the ultimate demise and relocation of the Montréal Expos. Several sports publications have speculated Montreal would have won the Series had it been played. The team was forced to trade many of its players to deal with the loss of revenue following the strike, and never again reached the same level of success it had in 1994. After the 2004 season, the team moved to Washington, D.C. and became the Washington Nationals. Three-tier playoff system This was to have been the first year of a regularly scheduled three-tier playoff system, as the NL and AL were divided into three divisions (East, Central, and West) at the start of the 1994 season. (An unscheduled three-tier system was used in 1981 due to the season being shortened by a mid-season labor dispute.) The new playoff system (involving a wild card team in each league) did not go into effect until the 1995 postseason. Impact of labor unions Some political scientists believed the strike led to Democratic Party losses in the ensuing Congressional election because of a negative image of labor unions, historically strong supporters of the Democratic Party, caused by this strike. Computer simulations The rise of computer simulation software for the sport led to numerous simulations of what the championship would have become, and the unfinished season led to a rise in such simulations, popular in comparing players of different ages, to determine what would have happened (1) if the season had finished to the end, or (2) if the two unofficial league champions played for the title. "Unofficial" champions The Associated Press writers, at the end of the aborted season, chose to name "unofficial" champions when naming their Managers of the Year as Felipe Alou and Buck Showalter, who were leading when the season abruptly ended. Traditionally, the next season's All-Star Game managers are the league champions. Because of the strike, the leagues chose to name their unofficial champion managers to the traditional honor. Television coverage Had the 1994 World Series been played out, it would have aired on ABC. Al Michaels, Jim Palmer and Tim McCarver would have, in all likelihood, served as the commentators. 1994, marked the first year of a six-year-long joint venture with Major League Baseball, ABC, and NBC called "The Baseball Network." In even-numbered years, ABC would cover the Division Series and World Series, while NBC would cover the All-Star Game and League Championship Series. Likewise, in odd-numbered years, NBC would cover the Division Series and World Series, while ABC would cover the All-Star Game and LCS. See also *1994 Major League Baseball strike References External links *Revisionist Baseball - 1994 World Series Results *September 15, 1994 *1994: The World Series the world forgot... *What If 1994 Was Played Out? *Baseball players strike against proposed salary cap *Frequently Asked Questions About the 1994 Strike Category:World Series World Series Category:Baseball labor relations